Offline scenes and the community: Roadblocks and hurdles

[Saboteur-6]

So I'm fortunate enough to live in an area with a solid offline scene but am hesitant to go out and meet/play with the community in my area. The reasoning for this breaks down to:

1. Age - As of August this past year I just clocked in at 33 and while I know that's not extremely old, I still feel a bit of disconnect with the general playerbase.

2. Skill level - This is something I'm sure is more common amongst new players as I know that my skill level is pretty low in comparison to offline regulars who attend weekly sessions. As a result, it's a bit daunting to meet up with strangers just to get bodied.



3. Career related - While this might seem like an uncommon aspect to mention, it's really something I have to consider as I'm a working professional in the Mental Health field and therefore have to think about the potential impact that can have on clients in the community. There's a level of expectation concerning dual-roles. It'd be like if you saw your teacher from school sitting down to play video games with you.



I'm real curious what some of the TYM community has experienced when cutting their teeth in the offline scene. Also, if anyone has advice concerning these aspects I mentioned I'd love to hear from you. Thanks a ton!

edited & promoted by STORMS*

 

[MashPotatoTower]

Your only as old as you feel. I'd game with a teacher, that be tight. Just saying

 

[Immortal Kombat]

Im 32 and go to every major i can travel to. Ive always found that if your respectful to other players they will help you with your skill level

 

[Saboteur-6]

Wow STORMS, thanks for the front page. I don't get a lot of the picture references (except for recognizing CDJr) but it's cool nontheless.

 

[Goldi]

I went to my first major totally alone. No real offline experience before and I only knew people through the forums. I was a noob, I was by myself in a strange new city .. And I was the only female there.

I could probably write novels lol but I did fall in love with the community and kept going to events. The FGC is really funny, just full of personality and actually pretty friendly. I really think that if I could do it, anyone who wants to can.

 

[juicepouch]

I went to my first major totally alone. No real offline experience before and I only knew people through the forums. I was a noob, I was by myself in a strange new city .. And I was the only female there.

I could probably write novels lol but I did fall in love with the community and kept going to events. The FGC is really funny, just full of personality and actually pretty friendly. I really think that if I could do it, anyone who wants to can.

... Did you win??

 

[NoobHunter420]

I live in manassas,va and there isn't an offline scene near me. I wish could meet up with people of similar skill level to mine, It must be nice to do flash trait combos w/o the insane online delay. am a college student new to fighting games. I don't mind losing, I learn the most by playing superior player. That's why i came to this forum to find more competent players

 

[HellblazerHawkman]

Some buddies of mine went to their first tourney a few days ago (one running the same day as the Red Bank Rumble, don't remember the name atm). Placed second and third and one made it on stream (they only did the final match and he got bodied, but it still counts). So you never know man, if you have some skill you might so well

And I live in NJ, I know there's a lot of offline places by me. I have the similar hesitations, so I do know where you are coming from

 

[TheSpore]

I'm 31 and like you work in a very professional field with a gov. contractor and I served 4 years in the Navy. I was afraid of being looked down upon too getting into the offline scene at my area, but when I got there I found many folks that still serve in the military and others that work in very respectable jobs as well as being around youngsters and still playing games with all of them. It is a hobby through and through. Video games are beginning to look less of a juvenile hobby more and more these days and you have nothing to fear. I took the plunge and now I'm a member of PTH(Pallet Town Heroes), I'm still a noob and they are all helpful and always are willing to help you level up. Hell before this hobby I used to play Warhammer 40k, which is way more childish than this is. As for having fear of being around folks that know from your profession, well that is where you just have to learn to separate your professional self from your personal self around those people. Back in the warhammer days while I was still in the military I was an E-3 and wound up throwing down games with other service members that 100% out ranked me, and I'm talking E-6 and above even officers. We didn't pull rank on each other, besides the occasional joke, we were their to de-stress and have fun and not discuss our work.

 

[Mikemetroid]

Back in 2012, I completely cleaned up my basement (which was a cesspool of just junk from my brother's ex-roommates) and prepared for PA's short lived Dungeon Battles which had players like...

SwiftTomHanks
REYTHEGREAT
G4S Claude VonStroke
MagnetoHalfway
KevoDaMaN
HGTV Soapboxfan

April 2012 aww yeahhh

so on and so forth. I think I was shy of 20 people my first run.

 

[TheSpore]

I live in manassas,va and there isn't an offline scene near me. I wish could meet up with people of similar skill level to mine, It must be nice to do flash trait combos w/o the insane online delay. am a college student new to fighting games. I don't mind losing, I learn the most by playing superior player. That's why i came to this forum to find more competent players

Dude why haven't you hit us up, we play out in Gainsville every wed. at a comic shop...Hit me WITNESS, @FlippinFlava, or any of us PTH guys up. If you need a ride or help just let us know.

 

[gdf]

My first tournament was one that Pig of the Hut spent his own money for, Southern Kombat. I went there for two reasons, as a result I was finally able to have a group of people to play Mortal Kombat with, I did not care about winning.

To be honest, I'm not sure what Pig's incentive was from spending that money. But every subsequent event for MK, I never got money out of it, however the ability to actually play people who enjoyed MK offline was its own reward, culminating to the point of MLG picking up Mortal Kombat.

The point is, people like Pig of the Hut, STORMS, and 9.95Phil had no practical economic incentive to make tournaments, and people like me, a lot of the MK 2011 tourney-goers had no idea of how big MK would get from just going out to tournaments.

Maybe Pig has a different view from what I saw, but the point is the community focused on growing their own scene in their respective area with no foreseeable profit from it, just more people to play.

 

[Goldi]

... Did you win??

Lol no I but I always really loved going no regrets

 

[chessmaster]

I feel you on the skill level part. I live an hour maybe an hour and a half from gga but im ass so its usually a waste of time going not to mention the ps3 pad further handicapping me. but the few times i did go it was pretty cool. But even if you dont have a local scene i would think you could still find somebody, anybody to play offline with.

 

[Korpse]

Wrong, there's one like 5 min from you if you're in Manassas, pretty sizable too

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[HGTV Soapboxfan]

Back in 2012, I completely cleaned up my basement (which was a cesspool of just junk from my brother's ex-roommates) and prepared for PA's short lived Dungeon Battles which had players like...

SwiftTomHanks
REYTHEGREAT
G4S Claude VonStroke
MagnetoHalfway
KevoDaMaN
HGTV Soapboxfan

April 2012 aww yeahhh

so on and so forth. I think I was shy of 20 people my first run.

That was such an awesome event, I think it was the second one we had a super hype cage mirror.

 

[juicepouch]

I feel you on the skill level part. I live an hour maybe an hour and a half from gga but im ass so its usually a waste of time going not to mention the ps3 pad further handicapping me. but the few times i did go it was pretty cool. But even if you dont have a local scene i would think you could still find somebody, anybody to play offline with.

I suppose I COULD go to GGA, but I'm also ass and it's probably a 2+ hour drive seeing as I'd have to go a long way south to get there. I wish people lived closer to me.

 

[Indecisive]

My first Tournament was a few months ago. It was at the break. Round one Played against the EVO Champ KDZ. It didnt matter that i lost all that mattered it i actually had a lot of fun just playing the game. The people there where very nice and very chill. And i have been going since that day. The Break is a great local seen and i have been getting better each time i go.

 

[TheSpore]

Wrong, there's one like 5 min from you if you're in Manassas, pretty sizable too

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

I just sent that guy a PM with what he needs to know

 

[Chakk dizzle]

I think you are over-thinking a bit. Go and have fun.

 

[Indecisive]

I suppose I COULD go to GGA, but I'm also ass and it's probably a 2+ hour drive seeing as I'd have to go a long way south to get there. I wish people lived closer to me.

You should go with a few friends and make a night of it. Something to do and have fun playing into the late hours of the night. And split the gas among each other. It will make the trip better as a whole if you go with a group of people. Especially a long one like that

 

[GGA Max]

I hear gaming in Europe is as credible a hobby as watching football. It sucks that it has less here. I can't speak on if that will affect your professional reputation.

However age absolutely doesn't matter.

 

[juicepouch]

You should go with a few friends and make a night of it. Something to do and have fun playing into the late hours of the night. And split the gas among each other. It will make the trip better as a whole if you go with a group of people. Especially a long one like that

Dude, I would love to but nobody I'm close friends with IRL plays fighting games at all. They all spend their time with CoD getting golden guns and what the fuck else. With any luck I could get to go to school a few hours closer in that direction, though That'd make the trip manageable, and maybe there I'd be able to find some people to play with besides

 

[NoobHunter420]

Dude why haven't you hit us up, we play out in Gainsville every wed. at a comic shop...Hit me WITNESS, @FlippinFlava, or any of us PTH guys up. If you need a ride or help just let us know.

I been meaning to, but I play on hori stick mini. I need a bigger stick for travels. I been thinking on moving to hit box or buying a normal sized arcade stick, I wouldn't want pay $150 for a hit box and be compatible with next gen.
what console you guys play on?

 

[TheSpore]

I been meaning to, but I play on hori stick mini. I need a bigger stick for travels. I been thinking on moving to hit box or buying a normal sized arcade stick, I wouldn't want pay $150 for a hit box and be compatible with next gen.
what console you guys play on?

I feel ya I sent 100 bucks on a madcat stick and tehn they went all 360 on us so Im having to switch back to pad for the cheaper route.